Students who rely on Orbit and other bus services in Tempe, Chandler and Scottsdale may need to find other modes of transportation until Wednesday or later because of a bus driver strike.
Disagreements regarding expired contract negotiations since June 30, 2011, between the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1433 and Veolia Transdev, the private company contracted to provide Tempe’s bus service, resulted in the strike that began Saturday.
The latest Tempe transit update on the City’s website at 4 p.m. Monday said all Orbit routes and Express routes 510, 512, 520 and 521 are not running, and the total transit service within Tempe is operating at 45 percent of a normal weekday service level.
ATU Local 1443 President Bob Bean said ATU members are aware of and sympathetic to the disruption the strike has caused passengers.
He said the ATU and Veolia plan to meet and renegotiate Tuesday at 1 p.m., and he is hopeful the conflict will be resolved.
“I know how it affects students and how it affects the public,” Bean said. “We didn’t want to go on strike.”
Bean said the union was pushed to its limits in negotiation.
“I want this resolved so passengers can continue using public transit, and I want to get our operators back to work so they can make a living again,” he said.
City of Tempe spokeswoman Sue Taaffe said Tempe is not involved in contract negotiations between the ATU and Veolia, but has been in charge of informing the public about route disruptions and finding alternative transportation.
“We want students to go online to Tempe.gov,” Taaffe said. “We put information as to what routes are running and how frequently, and we encourage them to carpool, ride a bicycle, catch a ride with a friend or any of those kind of options.”
Veolia spokeswoman Valerie Michael said Veolia offered the ATU a “generous package” including 56 articles, or clauses in the contracts, though six have yet to be resolved.
“They haven’t told us what their issues are,” she said.
Michael said the six unresolved articles offered to the ATU include a 9.75 percent wage increase, a health care package that includes a 94 percent company - paid premium, 11 days holiday pay, five weeks of paid vacation, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to accrue 60 days of sick pay.
Bean, however, disputed the company’s claim that these benefits had been offered to the ATU and said it was a “bold-faced lie.”
He said none of these articles was offered during negotiations and the ATU always had a 401(k) plan. He also said Michael did not mention the ATU’s request that Veolia reduce bus operators’ work day from 14 to 12 hours.
“In our eyes, that becomes a safety issue,” Bean said. “Especially in the summer heat.”
Secondary education graduate student Fang Wu rides the Orbit to the Tempe campus. She said having to find other means of transportation has been difficult.
“The whole day is off, so I had to find another way to go to school,” Wu said. “I depend on the Orbit every day. I really need it.”
However, Wu also said while it has been frustrating to have to find another mode of transportation, she feels badly for the drivers.
“I hope they get something they deserve,” she said.
Reach the reporter at kmmandev@asu.edu
